Advanced Poll Imagine Leatherhead in MNT Gaiden's universe. He would be out of place. He could fit in the universe. Oh boy... another bipolar character. Who is Leatherhead? View results Version 2.08
	Sunday, August 17th, 2008 "I love being the hostess. It's so easy to get home at the end of the evening." (Brittany in Daria) -MNT Gaiden Chapter 15 page 48 and 49 are now up. Am I getting sloppy at updates or what? The truth is, I'm constantly exhausted when I get home from work lately. Combined with that is the fact that I recently bought myself a PS3 and there you have all the reasons in the world to get lazy with an art project like MNT Gaiden. I'm getting back on track gradually, as my initial excitement with my PS3 diminishes a bit. Funny thing: I have a PS3, but I only have Metal Gear Solid 4 on it and currently don't plan on buying other PS3 games yet. In fact, I only play PS2 games on it and hold back MGS4 until I finish MGS1,2 and 3. So why did I buy a PS3 now? For backwards compatibilty. If any of you followed video game news, you would know that the latest batch of PS3 40GB on the market lack backwards compatibility for PS2 games (though PSone games are still playable). The PS3 80GB included in the MGS4 bundle is the last model to support PS3 games, so to me, it was clear this was my last chance to jump in the bandwagon of new gen consoles while keeping games from the previous generations playable. So far, all the PS2 games I played on PS3 worked fine and are gorgeous in HD, with the exception of Sonic Heroes, which suffers from the same bugs than any PS2 game on PS3 before firmware updates, last year (=distorted 2D graphics).	Click icon to read latest pages (from p.48).
	Wednesday, August 6th, 2008 "Don't interrupt, hateful scum." (Ms. Barch in Daria) Three extra pages added to MNT Gaiden's latest pages to fix a minor story pace issue. Read from here. I don't know if I should call this an update of new story or not, as I simply added three more pages in between the last few pages to make Eno's page blend in better in terms of story pace. I think the three new pages make Raph and Mikey's apologies a lot more believable. As I said earlier, I did a lot of gaming during the weekend. So here's my review of Atelier Iris 2: Azoth of Destiny. Graphics: (7/10) It's almost all in 2D, which is not necessarily a bad thing, if it wasn't for the fact that the 2D sprites are not very polished and pretty compared to Breath of Fire 4, for example. As opposed to Atelier Iris 1 which used hand drawn backgrounds, the fields here are made of tiles, making many locations look repetitive and lifeless. Sound/music: (8/10) The soundtrack is well composed, but somehow forgetful. Thankfully, there is no song that stood out as being terrible. I played with Japanese voices, so I wouldn't be able to judge the English voice acing, but from what I've heard, it was quite decent. As per NIS America standards, original japanese audio is selectable and all japanese songs in the game are intact. Gameplay: (7/10) The battles are like Grandia (time bar), but your characters do not move on a field. However, they are very easy paced and easy. Alchemy and item creation is a must to finish the game and thankfully, it's very addictive and lets you experiment with different recipes. The game is quite short, though. I finished it in 20 hours and there is next to no replay value. Story: (7/10) The story had potential at first, but it turned out to be a predictable one. The characters are cookie-cutter anime characters, but they are also very likeable as they are decently developed throughout the story (though nowhere near Persona 2). Also, the relationship between the hero and the heroine is one of the most touching examples of family affection I've ever seen (despite them not being blood-related). Overall: (7,5/10) Because of its length, generally optimistic story and light difficulty, it's a great RPG to pick up for a week or two, feel good after seeing the ending and never touch it again.
	Sunday, August 3rd, 2008 "Somebody's out in the night..." ("Last Candle" by Blind Guardian) I've reviewed the last few pages of MNT Gaiden after a few readers mentioned that there was something wrong with the scene transitions between my style and that of Enolianslave. Indeed, the page kicked in way too suddenly. With the right momentum, Eno's page would've worked perfectly, but it wasn't the case here. My page before hers did not create the proper momentum. To fix this, I've decided to add one page before her page and one after it. It will make Eno's page blend it smoothly, the way it was intended to. You see, it's at times like this that I'd rather have released the pages in huge chunks like I used to. Back when I did that, all the pages of a chapter were already inked by the time I started uploading the first page. By doing that, I'd detect mistakes in the story's pace before uploading the pages. I'll try to avoid doing the kind of mistake I just did in the future. If it does happen again, however, I'll fix it - effective storytelling is that important to me. Also, if you're a forum member, you might have noticed that there's an annoying question about the TMNT's master's identity every time you try posting something. I've never noticed this problem until I tried posting on the forum while at work, using Internet Explorer 6. It's actually very annoying, so I'm looking for a way to remove this BBANTISPAM mod from my forum and install a different security mod. This weekend, I did draw, but I also caught up on gaming. I've considered myself a gamer for all these years, yet I haven't even finished half the RPGs I bought! According to an article my co-worker read, more than 60% of gamers do not finish most of their games! When I realized that I was part of those that 60%, I thought it was about time that I finished many games that I've started long ago. My main problem is the following: I usually play a game up to 95% - then I give up because the endgame sub-quests hold promises of great rewards, but seem too tedious to complete. Without the completion of those sub-quests, I'd get my ass kicked by the final boss (I usually rush through my games). Anyways... this weekend I revisited some games in which I'm two steps from the last boss. I've completed Atelier Iris 2: Azoth of Destiny and Devil Summoner: Kuzunoha Raidou vs the Soulless Army. Both are very good games (though no "excellent"). I'll post my review for each game soon enough. ;) If I wanted to, I could've finished Digital Devil Saga 1 too, but instead, I spent over 8 hours this weekend grinding up my characters to beat optional bosses. :|
	Wednesday, July 30th, 2008 I've uploaded a mini-report of Otakuthon. If you wish to read a bit about my experience, follow the following link.
	Friday, July 25th, 2008 Otakuthon starts tomorrow! I'll be there on both days in the artist alley. If you come by, make sure you drop by the artist alley!! Identify yourself and if I have time, I'll draw you a TMNT sketch on the spot. ;) Tomorrow. 10AM to 6PM. Montréal. Palais des Congrès. Otakuthon. Sunday too, BTW. See you there! (for those who do come)
	Tuesday, July 22nd, 2008 "Hail, hail, Robonia: a land I didn't make up!" (Bender from Futurama) Okay, I should explain yesterday's update. I want to say, and should say, is that the page 43 of MNT Gaiden's CHP15 was drawn and colored by Enolianslave, a very talented TMNT artist in the fandom! I thought her style and colors were very fitting, since Mikey's prank is a huge contrast to the previous pages. The story went from dark to very light and positive, so what better than a page full of colors and happy facial expressions by Enolianslave? Personally, I thought the end result was terrific! So if you read this... thanks, Eno!!
	Monday, July 21st, 2008 "I will ring a bell until you feel me by your side" ("Ring a bell" by Bonnie Pink) -MNT Gaiden Chapter 15 page 43 and 44 are now up. -MNT Gaiden Prologue's Spanish translation is now up. (Thanks, Vincent!) About today's update... :) You'll see what I mean. Explanations on the next update. Also, the Spanish translation of MNT Gaiden is now up! Vincent is the contributor for this translation, so if you have any comments, please send them to him. Now... I need to draw more and more. Otakuthon is coming up and I'm not ready yet!
	Tuesday, July 9th, 2008 "So you're a girl after all!" (Claude to Rena in Star Ocean:The Second Story) -MNT Gaiden Chapter 15 page 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41 and 42 are now up. Didn't Michelangelo lose a lot of blood since the beginning of this chapter? This part is once again character development... and something else. Make what you want of it... at least until the next update, which shouldn't be in too long. (Note: Please don't forget to vote whenever you drop by! I'd appreciate it! :D) I remain stuck on floor 13 in Etrian Odyssey. I keep experimenting with new classes of characters to use the ones that are less "broken". Still a terribly addictive game, too. At least now my initial super addictive phase is over and I no longer neglect my sleep for that game. Monster Hunter 2nd G has been a major factor for the strong sales of the PSP in Japan since the beginning of this year. The PSP has even outsold the DS, just because of that game. I tried it a bit and it reminds me a lot of World of Warcraft because of all the fetch quests. I'll try it a bit more, but with lower expectations to enjoy it more. :| I've also gotten my hands on "We love Katamari" at a local EBGames. Best instuction manual ever. It looks like a children's storybook!! And the game - still as fun as the previous installments. Now if I want "Beautiful Kamatari", I'd have to buy an XBOX360, but I fear the infamous Red Ring of Death (a defect with many XBOX360 systems).
	Tuesday, July 1st, 2008 "I'm gonna rock your body till Canada Day!" (Robin Sparkles from How I Met Your Mother) -MNT Gaiden Chapter 15 page 29, 30, 31, 32 and 33 are now up. It's mostly character development in those pages, but a very important part for Mikey. Read on! (Note: Please don't forget to vote whenever you drop by! I'd appreciate it! :D) I've been playing Etrian Odyssey 2 again and again. I've found out that some character classes are completely broken i.e. you can use them for cheap victories. However, those broken characters cannot be used at their full cheap potential until you reach a certain point in the game, leaving you at the game's mercy. My position about this? If something can be done without exploiting a bug (like Missingno. in the first Pokemon games) or without the use of a cheating device, it's okay.
	Sunday, June 22nd, 2008 "Thank you for playing. Please turn the power OFF" (Etrian Odyssey 2: Heroes of Lagaard) -MNT Gaiden Chapter 15 page 28 is now up. I really wanted to update a bunch of new pages of MNT Gaiden, but this weekend was full of parties, family reunions and tasks, so I had my hands full (and my brain numb). My friend recommended me to try Etrian Odyssey 2 on DS. I never played the first one so I didn't know exactly what to expect: I'm a fan of dungeon RPGs, but people claim EO is one of the hardest ones out there. One thing that I was sure of, however, was that whenever ATLUS releases a game, I should buy it now if I think I'll be interested - or never. That company tends to print their games in very small quantities their games tend to go for a lot on Ebay a year after their release... Etrian Odyssey 1 is no exception, unfortunately. So I started playing the game (while I was drunk after a party, no less) and I really enjoyed it! After finishing the slow grindfest that was Persona 1, navigating through EO2's quick and responsive menus is a relief! If you're a fan of dungeon RPGs that punish you horribly for your lack of strategic thinking and like grinding, customization and non-linear gameplay, THIS is the game for you. If you like story-heavy games, linear gameplay and easy games, avoid this game at all costs.
	Sunday, June 15td, 2008 "If I like you, you can call me sarge. But guess what? I DON'T LIKE YOU!!" (Enclave drill sergeant in Fallout 2) -MNT Gaiden Chapter 15 page 27 is now up. Oookay. Brain Age is starting to get boring. I guess there's a reason it's only 20 bucks in the first place. Oh well. I'll probably use it as a tool to annoy members of my family. Putting Brain Age aside, I mostly play "Phoenix Wright: AA" on public transit and "Tales of World: Narikiri Dungeon 3" before sleeping. Both excellent games and easy to pick up and put down anytime. It's confirmed, by the way, that I'll have a table at the anime convention in Montreal, Otakuthon. If you attend that convention, please drop by, mmkay? :D

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